


You Are My Sunshine

by MsPerception427



Series: Redemption [3]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Background Relationships, Domestic, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Good Theo Raeken, Humor, M/M, McCall Pack, Pack Dynamics, Theo Raeken & Scott McCall & Alec, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-11
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-06-08 17:44:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15248562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsPerception427/pseuds/MsPerception427
Summary: Fluffy one-shots set in the Redemption (formerly Wild Ones) verse. No real angst, just tooth-rotting fluffy happiness.Chapter 1: Alec needs a dog to feel normal. Cue Theo doing the most to make that happen.Chapter 2: It's Theo's birthday. And he thinks he'll be spending it alone. Spoiler alert: he won't.Chapter 3: Kira is back in town and she's asking about Theo and the sword. Cue panic, heartbreak, and relationship growth.Chapter 4: Chris and Melissa have been together for eight years and have five wonderfully insane kids to show for it. Surely, they don't need anything more than that... right?Chapter 5: Scott interrupts his brothers' scheduled bonding time to ask Theo a very important question. Further bonding and, as always, cuddling ensues.





	1. Alec & Theo Need a Dog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Alec believes that a dog is the key to his emotional stability and Theo doesn't know enough about emotions to know if that's true but dammit he's going to get his brother a dog.

Theo was ten questions into his take-home chemistry exam when the door to his bedroom opened and all hundred and twenty pounds of the gangly teenage limbs he was now willingly referring to as his little brother came crashing down on him. He thinks the fact that he only pushed him on the floor instead of reacting violently spoke volumes of the progress he’s made since moving in with Chris and Melissa. Alec recovered quickly, glaring at the chimera from under the mop of curls he referred to as his hair. Theo begged to differ.

“Rude!” Alec hissed, climbing to his feet and sitting on the bed like a normal person. Theo glanced over the edge of his tablet before letting his gaze go back to the quiz in front of him. Alec huffed before throwing himself on top of Theo’s raised legs. “I know you can hear me! Don’t ignore me.”

“It is physically impossible to ignore your big ass lying on top of me. For the record, I’m part wolf, part coyote and all annoyed, so of course, I can hear you, dork,” Theo retorted. “What do you want and how long will it take me to get it so you’ll go away?”

“A dog.”

Theo glanced up and met Alec’s patiently waiting gaze. “Come again.”

“I want a dog. No, I need a dog. I need a dog and I want a dog. You should want a dog too. You need one too.”

“Why should I want, much less need, a dog?”

“Because that’s apparently what normal kids want and have.”

Theo saved his progress on his exam. It wasn’t due until the end of the week anyway, and he had a feeling he needed to invest all his attention in this conversation. He sat up straight so that he was face to face with the younger teen.

“Al, where is all of this coming from?”

“I was talking with some of the kids at school,” the younger teen started, suddenly diverting his focus to his jeans. “And they were all talking about their pets. And they asked me if I had any pets and I said no. I never did. And they all looked surprised and said that was weird. And I’m like ‘I’m a werewolf’ that’s usually the weirdest thing about me. But suddenly not having a pet was and I want to fix that. I want a dog.”

“Okay,” Theo drawled, processing the information. “Al, do you want a dog because you want a dog or because the kids at school made you feel bad that you didn’t have a dog?”

“Both, I guess?” Alec shrugged. “I always wanted a puppy when I was a kid. But my dad was allergic. Kind of ironic that I got turned into a werewolf. Of course, he got killed like a few weeks later… so…”

Theo winced at the matter of fact statement. He was glad that Alec felt comfortable sharing things with him, but it didn’t make the kid’s backstory any less tragic and painful to hear. He leaned over and rested a hand on Alec’s knee.

“I wanted a cat when I was a kid,” he said, instead of offering empty words of comfort. “But I was the allergic one. One whiff of a cat and my asthma was acting up. Couple that with a heart condition and my house was a no pet zone.”

“We deserve pets, Theo,” Alec said, his voice quiet. “After everything we’ve been through… we should get a pet.”

Theo turned to look at the younger wolf. While he didn’t necessarily agree that he deserved a pet, he did believe that Alec deserved everything. He had lost so much in the past two years. He had to come to grips with being a werewolf and the knowledge that being turned was what got his family killed. So, if he thought that a pet would make any of that manageable then dammit, he was going to get a pet.

The first thing Theo needed to do was research. He had no idea how Melissa or Chris would react to them asking for a pet. To his knowledge, Scott never had a pet of his own. And though he didn’t know how, he was reasonably sure that Allison also had no pets. So, it wasn’t a guarantee that either of their parents would agree to it. He was going to have to take this the logical route. Break it down. He came dangerously close to destroying McCall Pack. Getting a dog for his little brother should be easy.

* * *

 

“Hey, Theo,” Scott greeted cheerfully as he made his way across campus to his next class. Usually, he wouldn’t answer, but they were trying to encourage the chimera to get used to reaching out to them, even if it was just to say hi or talk about his classes. He took the fact that Theo was calling him during what was likely his lunch period as a good sign.

“ _Hey, um... sorry to bother you but…._ ”

“You’re not bothering me. I’m on my way to class. It’s fine.”

_“Oh, okay. So, you have time. Can I ask you a question?”_

“Yeah, of course. What’s up?”

 _“Um,”_ Theo started to speak and cut himself, cursing softly. _“It’s just that… how…”_

“Theo, it’s okay,” Scott said, slowing down. “Whatever you want to ask, just ask.”

_“Okay, so here’s the thing. How do you get people to do what you want when they maybe don’t want to without resorting to murder and violence? Because I’ve tried to think this through and I don’t get it. But for the record I’m not even really considering violence here because I really like living here and I don’t want to hurt Melissa or Chris.”_

Scott stopped abruptly, almost tripping over the sidewalk in front of him. What the hell? He glanced down at his watch. He had about ten minutes to get to class. He didn’t know how long this conversation was going to take, but it was worth a listen. he found the nearest bench and sat down.

“Alright, let’s slow down here,” he said, finally interrupting the silence that settled after Theo’s question. “What exactly are you trying to get here?”

_“A dog.”_

Scott blinked. “You want a dog? I always pictured you as a cat person.”

_“I am. The dog is for Alec.”_

“Oh, that makes way more sense. Alec is totally a dog person. Wait, you want to ask Mom and Chris for a dog for Alec?”

“ _Yeah. The mouth breathers at school made Alec feel bad because he doesn’t have a dog. And you all said that beating them up was wrong even though Liam and Brett both agree with me, but Corey also said no. And I know if it’s a moral dilemma I should listen to Corey over Liam and Brett. So, to make Alec stop being sad, I’ve decided we have to get a dog.”_

Scott covered his mouth with his hand to repress the chuckles coming through. He couldn’t imagine a time when Theo was anything other than his weird, awkward, cynical, emotion challenged adopted brother. He knew those days existed, but it was so much better now. Theo was hilarious. Mainly when he was in help his people mode. And nothing rallied the chimera more than Alec needing something. Well, that wasn’t true. Liam needing something came in a close second for him.

“Alright. I get it. I get it. Alec needs a dog. And while I’m happy your first instinct is not to murder our parents, I have a question for you.”

_“Okay?”_

“Have you tried asking them?”

Theo scoffed. _“It’s not that easy, Scott! All the movies and TV shows say that parents are unusually stubborn when it comes to adopting pets. And Alec really wants a stupid dog. I don’t think he’ll take rejection well. He’s pretty sure that the key to his emotional stability is in a dog. And I don’t know enough about emotions and stuff to know if that’s true but I’m not taking a chance. I can’t have him be rejected.”_

That was a valid reason. Still… “It might not be as difficult as television and movies say it is, Theo. I’ve never tried to ask for a pet. I don’t know how Mom will react. And Chris is pretty much putty when it comes to you both. I think you might be surprised by the results. You never know until you try.”

_“That was… super not helpful. You’re just as bad as Mason.”_

“Wait, you went to Mason before me?!”

_“Of course not. I went to Corey first and then when he wouldn’t shut up about me being a functional human and the words adorable and cute were tossed around a few dozen times I went to Mason. But then Mason kept going on about family and friendship and rainbows, so he was no help either. Of course, Liam was there, but he was also not helpful. He told me to just bring a dog home and hope for the best. But I really don’t want to go back to living in the truck.”_

Scott rolled his eyes. Who thought it was a good idea to let Liam and Theo even hang out much less date? Oh, right. The whole damn pack. Oh well.

“Do not just bring a dog home. You’re right. It won’t end well. But also, even if you did, Mom and Chris aren’t going to kick you out. That’s your home now, Theo. You don’t have to worry about it. And even if they were replaced by body snatchers who did kick you out, you know you have several other people who would take you in, right?”

 _“Yeah,”_ came the quiet response on the other line. Scott smirked.

“Alright, so are you going to ask Mom?” he asked, changing the subject. He knew that Theo had a limit on how many emotional conversations he could handle in a month. Scott’s pretty sure this five-minute interaction just put him over the limit.

_“Yeah, I’ll ask. I just need to get some stuff together.”_

“You’re going to go full geek, aren’t you?”

_“Possibly.”_

“Alright. Do it this weekend. We don’t have classes on Monday, and I was thinking of coming home anyway.”

_“Okay… um, thanks, Scott.”_

“You don’t have to thank me. We’re a family. This is what we do.”

Theo sighed but murmured something along the lines of thanks anyway before ending the call. Scott shook his head fondly. It had almost been a year since Liam brought Theo back to help them with the Ghost Riders. And a year since Theo came into their lives bringing chaos and destruction with him. At first, Scott was so mad the beta brought him back. But he freely admitted that it was wrong they ever put him there in the first place. And now… now he couldn’t imagine his life without the unpredictable chimera. More importantly, he couldn’t wait to see how utterly insane Theo went with this whole ask the parent proposal. Oh, he was totally getting Stiles and Isaac to come over. This would be totally worth it. 

* * *

 

Melissa watched as Alec and Theo nervously fidgeted with Theo’s laptop while Scott lounged on the sofa with an amused Stiles and Isaac flanking him. She didn’t know what Theo and Alec had to ask them that was so big it warranted Stiles taking a break from a case he was working nearby and Isaac stopping his… wait, what was it that Isaac did these days anyway?  He had permanently moved into Chris’ old apartment and seemed to always be around, especially when Scott was in town but he didn’t seem to have a job. Weird… but anyway, she didn’t know what was so important that both boys dropped what they were doing to come to watch, but Melissa was mildly apprehensive. Especially since Theo’s anxiety was so intense, she was surprised that Liam wasn’t busting down their door.

“Okay, so… we brought you here today to ask you a question. And I’ve prepared a presentation on how it will all work,” Theo said, words tumbling out rapidly. She blinked. “So, if you’ll just direct your attention to the screen.”

He gestured towards the television screen where Alec was projecting the presentation from the laptop. She bit her lip to hide the smile growing as the PowerPoint title screen popped up with the words “ _Can We Get a Dog? A Thoroughly Researched and Planned Presentation on the Emotional and Mental Benefits of Theo and Alec Having a Dog_.” It was so random and utterly them. She couldn’t help the smile and knew Chris was smiling beside her.

“Yes,” she said.

Alec’s brow furrowed. “Yes, what?”

“Yes, Theo and Alec can have a dog.”

She heard Scott snicker and threw a dark glare his way. Both of her younger boys looked confused. Alec’s brow remained furrowed in confusion while Theo was tilting his head to the side looking like the lost puppy he regularly accused Liam and Alec of being.

“Boys?” Chris started when a few moments of silence had passed by. “Are you okay?”

“I think you broke them,” Scott answered, not even remotely helpfully. “Theo was convinced it couldn’t be this easy.”

Melissa felt her heart clench. It wasn’t easy for either of the boys. They went through literal and metaphorical hell before ending up with her. So, of course, neither of them believed it would be that easy. They still had difficulty convincing Theo he deserved to ask for extra servings of food even when he was hungry. It broke her heart that they were both still so damaged and scarred. But the fact that they went through with asking anyway, even in this over the top way, made her hopeful for the future. She held out her hands and smiled as they both reached out to her without hesitation.

“You both listen to me carefully. You two are mature and so responsible. I don’t know why you suddenly want a dog, but if you want a dog, then you’ll get a dog. I know that you’ll take great care of it and any dog would be lucky to have either one of you as an owner.”

“What Melissa said,” Chris chimed in. “Although, Theo I really had you pegged as a cat person.” Theo flushed, throwing a glare at Scott, who wasn’t bothering to hide his laughter anymore. “So yeah, I agree with her. You guys can have a dog. We’ll go in the morning.”

“Oh,” they both murmured, looking sheepishly at the screen. “Guess we didn’t need all that then after all.”

“How many slides are there?”

“Uh…. Fifty-seven?” Theo shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Fifty-seven? What could you possibly have had to say for fifty-seven slides about getting a dog?” Stiles asked, incredulously.

“Well, there was a lot of information about breeds, and food and then breaking down how we could both be financially and emotionally responsible for the dog. I just…” Theo trailed off with a sigh. Running his free hand through his hair. “I went full geek, didn't I?”

Melissa squeezed his hand. “You did, honey. But that’s okay.” She turned to the three older boys on the sofa. “Alright, guys. Stiles, you grab drinks. Isaac, make some popcorn. Scott, order a pizza. They took the time to make the presentation. The least we could do is listen to it.”

“Really?” Alec asked, softly.

“Really,” Melissa agreed, using their joined hands to pull both boys down to the sofa she was sitting on. They instantly relaxed into the embrace she was offering. She heard her other three boys milling about in the kitchen with Chris acting as supervision for the inevitable shenanigans that followed anytime Stiles and Isaac were near each other. She snickered as Chris raised his voice in warning against whatever Stiles was planning to do to Isaac before focusing on the two boys in her arms. “I want you both to promise me something.”

“Yeah?”

“I want you to promise me that you will never be afraid to ask me anything. You don’t need to do days of research to ask me a question. I will always listen to you even without scientific arguments to back up your claims. And I will always be open to talking to you about even if I say no at first. Okay?”

“Okay,” Alec murmured. She felt Theo nod against her shoulder. She ran her hands through his hair.

They still had a lot of progress to make with those two, but she felt that a dog would be an excellent first step. And if in the morning when they went to the shelter to find said dog, they ended up leaving with a midnight black kitten with bright green eyes that fell in love with Theo the minute they locked eyes in addition to a golden retriever with the shiniest coat… well, no one could blame her.


	2. Birthday Blues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Theo's birthday and he's pretty sure he'll be spending it alone. Spoiler alert: he's wrong.

On the morning of his 18th birthday, Theo came downstairs to find the McCall-Argent home was completely empty. Normally at this time on a Saturday there was at least one member of his officially adopted family there. At the very least, Scott was usually there taking up space with Isaac. Though the alpha had moved into Chris’ loft with the newly returned Isaac, it wasn’t uncommon to find either wolf lounging on the sofa here begging for scraps of food. Most people would probably get tired of their older siblings and friends hanging around all the damn time but since Theo never experienced that feeling, it was still fun coming home from school to catch Scott and Isaac trash talking each other through a particularly violent game of Mario Kart.  

But on this particular day, there was no sign of either wolf. Alec’s familiar heartbeat was similarly missing. Melissa and Chris were gone as well. The only sign of life he could sense was Alec’s dog, Bobo, and his own kitten, Fiji. Fiji was, per the usual, curled up on the windowsill in the sunniest spot in the house. Bobo was sprawled out on the floor beneath her, snoring softly. Theo snorted at their ridiculous pets before making his way into the kitchen, hoping to find some sort of clue as to what happened to his family.

He thought that at least Melissa would be there since he had asked her several times, without telling her why, whether she would be working that day or not. She promised that she was off and that they would spend the day together even though she didn’t ask him why. He just wrote it off as one of those things that mothers did for their children. The whole having parents who actually wanted to spend time with him and encouraged him to seek them out thing was new for him. But the feeling of waking up on his birthday to find his family wasn’t around was definitely not a new feeling. And it was even more disappointing this time around.

He sighed as he found a folded piece of paper on the kitchen island with his name scrawled across the top. The note was brief but summed up the whereabouts of everyone who was supposed to be there. Melissa had been called into work unexpectedly due to several other nurses calling out. Chris had another lead on Monroe that he was checking out with Scott, Isaac and Derek. Alec was forcibly removed from the home by Liam, Lori, Brett, and Corey very early that morning. Apparently, they all decided he was going to be on the lacrosse team whether he wanted to be or not. Theo snorted. They were very passionate about lacrosse. Too passionate. They would be at that all day.

“Happy Birthday to me,” he whispered to himself, moving to the cabinets to start working on making himself breakfast.

A small part of him was disappointed that no one was around. This was the first year he was officially pack and he was looking forward to spending his birthday with friends and family. And even though he was sad, the majority of his brain knew it was stupid to be upset about not spending his birthday with people who didn’t know it was his birthday in the first place. At first, he never said anything because he didn’t think anyone would care. Then, it just never occurred to him to share it and no one ever asked. They made it a point to celebrate every single birthday in the pack, but no one had ever even asked him when his was. And his own anxiety and self-loathing made him overthink volunteering the information. So here he was, spending his 18th birthday alone eating cereal at the kitchen table. That is until the doorbell rang.

Frowning, Theo carefully made his way to the front door. He couldn’t think of a single person that would ring the doorbell. Most of their friends were savages. Corey took personal offense to doorbells and would text relentlessly until someone let him in. Lori generally only came around if she was with Brett and he also seemed to ignore that doorbells existed for a reason and instead chose to climb the side of the building to slither in through Theo’s window. That Theo left his window open just so Brett could do that and feel more at home was between him (Liam) and Brett. Everyone else had a key. So, Theo had no idea who was behind the door and it still managed to surprise him even more when he flung it open to find Mason standing awkwardly on the doormat.

“Uh, hi?” Theo greeted, his hand reaching towards the loose string on his hoodie that has somehow managed to avoid Melissa’s many attempts to fix it. “Liam and Corey aren’t here.”

Mason rolled his eyes. “I know that. They kidnapped Alec hours ago. I figured you would be in the same predicament as me today since they were otherwise occupied. And that is bored out of your mind. I thought that maybe we could hang.”

“Hang? Together?”

“Yeah? Is there any other way to hang out?”

“No! I mean… sorry,” Theo sighed. Why was he so painfully bad at this? He once manipulated the entire pack. Now he was just an awkward mess. Hell really screwed him up. “It’s just we don’t usually hang out just the two of us. It’s usually with Corey and Liam.”

“I know,” Mason nodded. “And I figured that needed to change. I know that we haven’t always… been the closest. But you mean a lot to Liam and Corey. And they mean a lot to me. Therefore… you mean a lot to me too.”

“Oh,” Theo murmured. “I care about you too.”

Mason gave him a fondly amused look. “You really are just a softie, aren’t you?”

“Huh?”

“Nothing. Don’t worry about it. Hurry up and get dressed. We’re going to brunch and then the mall. Hopefully by the time we’re done revamping your entire wardrobe, the lacrosse nuts will be done torturing Alec.”

“Oh, brunch?” Theo repeated, feeling somewhat at a loss. He felt like he was missing part of the puzzle here. He and Mason never hung out together alone before and now they were going to brunch. On his birthday. He felt like there was something he was missing but he couldn’t figure it out as Mason was currently clapping at him in the interest of making him move faster.

That’s how the chimera found himself spending the day with someone that he considered a close friend but never spent much time with. But he was today and he enjoyed it. He always knew that Mason could be hilarious and fun but it was almost always directed to Corey and Liam. It was nice sitting at brunch, another new experience for him, and laughing at some of the things Mason and Liam got into when they were younger.

“Liam is really lucky he has you as a friend,” Theo said, honestly.

Mason smiled softly. “He is. But I’m also really lucky to have him too. He’s been there for me just as much as I’ve been there for him. And he’s also lucky to have you.”

“I would definitely say that I’m the lucky one in that case,” Theo countered, with a slight shrug. “Liam saved me… he saves me every day. If anyone lucked out here, it’s me.”

“You really don’t see it, do you?”

“See what?”

“You’ve changed, Theo. You’ve changed and everyone gets it but you,” Mason shook his head. “I was skeptical in the beginning. I guess I’m a lot like Stiles sometimes. But I would have to be blind to not see how much you’ve changed. The guy that ripped the pack apart isn’t gone but he’s so far under the soft, dorky guy that would rather die than hurt this pack that he might as well be gone.”

“I’m not soft,” Theo muttered.

“You wear your boyfriend’s lacrosse jersey everywhere because his scent makes you happy and we all know you make him sleep in it every other week so that the scent stays strong. You’re not fooling anyway. You made a fifty-seven slide PowerPoint presentation about getting your little brother a dog. You cried when Melissa let you adopt Fiji who followed you all around the shelter the day you went to get your little brother a dog and you thought you had to leave her behind. oh yeah, let’s not forget the time you panicked and called Scott because you stepped on Fiji’s tail and convinced yourself that you broke her because she’s ‘so small!’.”

Theo flushed, slinking lower in his seat. “Okay. So maybe I’m a little soft.”

Mason snickered, nudging him with his foot. “A little? Face it, the big bad chimera is gone. And in his place is a soft, marshmallow-like dork.” He paused and a smug grin crossed his lips. “Theodork.”

“I hate you!” Theo muttered.

“No, you don’t.”

“No. I don’t.” 

* * *

 

While it wasn’t the birthday he thought he was going to have, Theo had to admit that it was still pretty great. He had fun hanging out with Mason. He let the other teen force him into acting as a model. The more fashion-conscious teen was always ranting about the lack of style in the pack minus Brett and was so grateful that Theo let him style him however he wanted that he even bought a few nicer pieces for the chimera. Theo had protested but Mason reminded him that his parents made good money and the least he could do was buy some nice things for his friends every now and then. Theo had been so quietly surprised by the easy declaration of friendship that he forgot to put up a stronger fight. Knowing Mason, he was probably counting on it.

The point of it all was that he had a great day hanging out with Mason having brunch and shopping. Now it was hours later and he was definitely ready to eat again. Mason suggested swinging by the park to pick up the rest of the Puppy Pack and force them to eat. Theo agreed because he would never turn down a chance to see Liam and also because they were probably driving poor Alec crazy by now.

“I had a good time today,” Mason started as he turned the car off in the parking lot. “I have to admit I wasn’t sure how it was going to go. But I really enjoyed hanging out. Just the two of us.”

“So, you admit that this wasn’t your idea?” Theo asked, raising an eyebrow but failing to keep the small smile off his face.

Mason grinned. “You’re right, it wasn’t my original idea. But I definitely agreed with it. And I have zero regrets. Especially when you wear that jacket.”

Theo flushed, glancing down at the leather jacket he was wearing. Though he had protested, Theo loved the jacket just as much as Mason. “I had fun too. Thanks for my stuff. I can pay you back one day.”

“I know. But this was my treat. You’ll just have to take me out one day in return.”

Theo nodded. “Yeah, I would actually really like that.”

And he meant it. He never really knew where he stood with the druid in training but he knew that he wanted to be better. Not just because of Liam and Corey, though that did play a large part in it. Really, he respected Mason. He knew the teen was fiercely protective of the ones he loved and Theo always admired that. He always wanted to be one of the ones that Mason wanted to protect. Today was the first day he genuinely felt like he could be.

He was so absorbed in his happy thoughts about friendship that it took him a moment to register the familiar scent and heartbeat that was rapidly approaching the car they were still sitting in. He had only a second to brace himself as the passenger door was ripped open abruptly and he found himself yanked into the always comforting embrace of his ridiculous boyfriend. Theo laughed against the insistent lips moving against his even as he was pressed into the side of the car. His arms naturally coming up to run through Liam’s stupidly gorgeous long hair.

“Gross. Can you not mate against my car? I just had it cleaned.”

Liam pulled away from Theo to glare at his best friend over the chimera’s shoulder. Theo snickered softly, nuzzling into Liam’s neck. He missed the younger wolf even though it had been a matter of hours since they last saw each other. Sometimes Theo worried that he was being clingy or dependent on Liam but then the beta would break into his room in the middle of the night claiming he couldn’t sleep without Theo’s scent and he knew they were just insane for each other. That was slightly better. He was taking it as a win.

All thoughts came to an abrupt halt as his feet were suddenly swept off the ground. He yelped and wound his arms around Liam’s shoulders tighter as they were suddenly spinning around and running away from the car. Theo could see Mason still standing there shaking his head even as they got further away.

“Where are you even taking me, you weirdo?! Put me down!” Theo yelled but couldn’t help the laughter that was spilling over. “Liam!”

“As you wish,” Liam whispered before dropping him.

Theo flailed trying to regain his balance when he felt several hands behind him stabilizing him and keeping him upright. He whirled around to see a grinning Scott, Alec and Melissa. He was just opening his mouth to ask what was happening when he realized there were far more heartbeats in the picnic area of the park than he expected. There was also a brightly colored picnic table loaded down with even more brightly colored wrapped packages. A banner hung on the table that left little doubt in his mind what this was.

“Surprise!” the pack collectively yelled, not at all in harmony but it still sounded amazing to Theo. Because they were all there, minus Ethan and Jackson. But they were all there and it was for him.

“I didn’t hear your heartbeats,” he murmured after realizing they were waiting for him to say something.

Stiles snorted. “What is it with you and heartbeats?” the smile on his face let Theo know he was only kidding. He was still getting used to the snarky comments being lightly teasing. “And no, you didn’t hear our heartbeats because distraction wolf for the win!”

“Happy Birthday, babe,” Liam grinned.

“You knew?” Theo asked, still in disbelief. Melissa rolled her eyes in response.

“Theo, I’ve known you since you were six years old. I took you, Scott and Stiles to Chucky Cheese for your last birthday in Beacon Hills. You and Stiles ate your body weight in pizza and then puked for an hour while Scott cried because he thought you were going to die.”

Theo grinned. That was a good memory. He tried to not to think too much about his life before the Dread Doctors but he had to admit that some of the memories weren’t so bad. And that was a good one… even after the pizza. He caught Stiles’ gaze and laughed as the older teen winked before nodding at a stack of pizzas on one of the tables in the area.

“I can’t believe that you really thought we didn’t know or that we didn’t care,” Alec scoffed. “In what world would your birthday not be important?”

Theo shrugged. “I… yeah. I’m sorry.”

“You’re fine, sweetheart,” Melissa assured him. She gave him a warm smile and her heart remained steady. He really loved these people. “But this is a party and it’s time to celebrate. And eat. Chris, feed the beasts!”

“Finally!” Malia and Isaac exclaimed, both scrambling from their respective places to be the first on the line for food. They were sorely disappointed as Brett, Lori, Mason and Corey materialized in front of them with smug looks on their faces. “Cheaters!”

“I’ll be right back,” Liam murmured, pressing a kiss against Theo’s cheek. “I’m going to fight the savages and get us some food.”

“Okay,” Theo smiled as his boyfriend ran off to do just that.

“Happy Birthday, baby,” Melissa said, kissing him on the forehead and walking away to protect the very overwhelmed Jordan, Chris and Noah. Seriously, this pack was rabid when it came to food. It was slightly scary.  But, Theo conceded watching as Melissa whacked Alec over the head with a roll of paper towel, it was damned entertaining.

“Did you seriously not remember your last birthday here?” Scott asked, drawing his attention away from the chaos that was still growing.

“I didn’t forget, I just… a lot happened. That was the year that Tara died and…. I’m really sorry.”

“I get that. But Scotty and I have a way to make sure you never forget again,” Stiles chimed in, breaking the silence between the chimera and alpha. He handed Theo one of the gifts that was on the table.

Theo opened it with a furrowed brow. It was really light. He had no idea what it could be. He didn’t really think any of them would want to get him a gift at all. But apparently, he was wrong. He pulled out the wooden picture frame and turned it over to see a picture of three little boys smiling brightly at the camera. There were pizza stains all over two of the boys and the other still had visible tear tracks on his face. but they were all smiling still. Theo’s breath caught in his throat.

“I found it when I was packing up my stuff to move to the condo,” Scott admitted. “That was the last time I think we saw you smile like that until recently. It’s a good look on you, bro.”

“Thanks,” Theo whispered, hating how hoarse he sounded but he was feeling too much. He heard Stiles sniffle.

“Don’t start crying!” Stiles warned him, sounding just as emotional. “One, you’ll make Scott cry. And two, if you cry then we have to deal with….”

“Theo?!”

“Your crazier half,” Stiles finished as all three teens turned towards Liam. “He’s crying from happiness, puppy. He’s fine. But here, get your gross sappiness on. We know how much you missed it.”

“Pretty sure everyone within a hundred-foot radius knows how much you missed Theo today,” Scott added with a smirk. “You weren’t even this obnoxious with Hayden. I guess you really, really like Theo.”

“I really love him,” Liam corrected snottily. “And you of all people shouldn’t be talking. I’m confused. If you’re dating Malia, why are you shacking up with Isaac? I’ve seen Chris’ loft. There’s enough room for her to live there too. And yet, it’s just you two.”” Scott flushed a brilliant shade of red and was going to say something when Stiles laughed loudly. Liam arched an eyebrow. “You really shouldn’t be laughing, Stiles. Are you ever going to address the UST between you and Derek or are just hoping we don’t see it?”

Theo bit his lip to hide the growing smile as both older teens reeked of embarrassment before slinking away. They really needed to address the tension going on in their lives. Scott was just as bad as Stiles with the dancing around what (who) he really wanted. It was clear to anyone with eyes that he and Malia were a couple in name only these days. As for Stiles, he didn’t even notice Jordan and Lydia being ridiculously cuddly right next to him because he was too busy making heart eyes at Derek, who was pretending he wasn’t doing the same.

“They’re ridiculous,” Theo muttered, wrapping his arms around Liam. “I’m so happy that we didn’t end up like those losers.”

“Never,” Liam shook his head. He brought a hand up to cup Theo’s cheek. “I didn’t always get it but there was never a time when I didn’t see you. Even when I didn’t want to. You were always there. and you always will be.”

“Same,” Theo admitted. “Even when you were with Hayden, I kept noticing you. I kept wanting to be around you even though I know she was there too.”

“I’m sorry it took me so long to get it.”

“I’m sorry I wasted all that time trying to be evil,” Theo snorted. “This, this is so much better.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Theo smiled as Liam lifted slightly to meet his smiling lips. “Love you.”

“Love you too. So much.” Liam glanced down at Theo’s leather-clad arms. “And I really, really love this jacket. Leather is definitely a good look on you, babe.”

Theo rolled his eyes. “Yes, I’m aware. Your best friend is a very kinky bastard, just so you know. At first, I worried about him and Corey together because of Corey but now I’m worried for Corey. Mason is intense.”

“You have no idea,” Liam laughed. “But did you have a good day?”

“Yeah. I did. It was nice. But I did miss you.”

“God, I missed you so much. It was such a pain not being able to wake up with you. But Melissa said we should take advantage of the fact that you probably thought we didn’t know or care and prove to you (again) that we do.”

“I,” Theo started to protest but closed his mouth at the knowing look Liam was giving him. “I am working on it, okay? Thinking that people want me around is sometimes really scary and new. I’m getting there.”

“I know. And we’ll be here when you do.”

“I know,” Theo leaned down to peck him on the lips before dragging him over to their waiting friends and family.

Realistically, Theo knew it would take him a little longer to get the message, but he felt that today was a good start. As he sat sandwiched between Liam and Corey accepting presents (and helpful commentary from Stiles, Scott and Alec about said presents) to rip open to the pack’s delight, Theo couldn’t believe there was ever a time when he wanted anything other than to belong with these people. they were his pack. They were his family. they continued to prove that they would be there through thick, thin and… once again consuming his body weight plus some in pizza just to see if the outcome changed.

Spoiler alert: it didn’t. And Scott still cried.


	3. My (Ex) Girlfriend’s Back….

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kira comes back with a mission regarding Theo and asking about the sword. The pack is panicking. Although Theo and Malia are holding a secret of their own regarding their missing kitsune.

            Things have changed a lot for Theo since coming back from Hell. Some of them in ways he never could’ve imagined though he always secretly hoped. The fact that Theo even had a before and after hell comparison to make was a huge one of those things. But he did and although it wasn’t the most conventional life sometimes it worked for him. He had friends and family that he loved and who loved him back. He wouldn’t trade a single part of it. Even the nightmares were worth it for the mornings when he woke up either being cuddled to death by Liam or surrounded by his brothers and parents. He was definitely enjoying his life.

            “You’re missing the show! Stop thinking so much!” Malia hissed at him, drawing his head out of the clouds and back to the television in front of him. “Pay attention. You’re missing the good stuff!”

            “You keep saying that but this show is pissing me off! Why is he marrying this woman when he’s clearly in love with the sexy wizard guy?!” Theo argued as he sunk lower on the sofa, careful not to disturb Fiji sleeping on his thigh. “And why is this episode called Malec when it’s about his sham wedding? Is this queerbaiting? Are you making me watch queerbaiting?”

            “Stop psychoanalyzing everything. It’s not queerbaiting! Shut up and watch the damn show!” Malia hissed. Theo huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and doing just that.

            As the episode progressed, he found himself more and more engrossed in Alec’s struggle to choose between what he wanted and what he thought he had to do for his family’s sake. He didn’t even notice that he was sitting up, body leaned towards the screen watching as Alec and Magnus stared each other, Alec clearly torn between the two options. Family and duty with Lydia on the altar. Freedom to be true to himself with Magnus standing just a few feet away. It was tense and Theo felt justified in wanting them to just move on with it already! And then just as Alec was coming to a decision, the front door slammed open and there were several idiots blocking his view of the television.

            “What the hell?!” Theo yelled, surprising himself with just how pissed off he was in that moment. “Get out of the way! It was just getting to the good part! I need to know if he chose Magnus or not!”

“Wait, you guys are watching Shadowhunters?!” Mason asked, glancing back at the television that Theo still couldn’t see. Mason turned around with an affronted look. “You’re watching Shadowhunters without me?!”

            “Have been for the past two days,” Theo shrugged. “I had lunch with Malia, Isaac and Derek the other day and Malia and Isaac wouldn’t shut up about this show. And since everyone in this pack respects Derek’s boundaries but not mine, I’m the one that got forced to watch it to prove that it wasn’t ‘teen centered garbage’. I didn’t even say it! But… they’re not wrong. It’s actually really good. Plus Magnus and Alec are hot.”

            “Excuse me?!” Liam and the pest also named Alec squawked together. Theo rolled his eyes. Why were they this way? Why?!

            “First off, Alec, you’re like ten. You’re so not my type. Also, you’re my brother. So there’s that. Second, Liam, look at that man! He’s hot and I need to know if he ditches his strict ass society’s bigoted standards and runs away with his hot wizard! So get out of the way!” Theo gripped still trying to peer through the bodies blocking the television. But Brett, Liam, and Corey were solidly blocking his view. It didn’t help that Scott was in front of all of them. “Fine, I give up. What’s happening now? You all smell wrong.”

            That seemed to remind them that they were here for a reason. Liam and Corey were pulling him up in the next moment and a too familiar cold feeling spread over his skin signaling that Corey had made them disappear. Liam, Brett and Alec were taking defensive positions by the door while Malia sat on the couch with the remote in hand looking surprised. Fiji was sitting on the floor, head tilted in confusion before she gave up wondering what her people were up to this time and trotted off to find Bobo.

            “Guys, what is going on?!” Malia shouted even as Scott scrambled around the room in an apparent attempt to barricade the room. Theo was going on record by saying that he was not in any way helping to clean this up later…. Except, he totally was going to help because Scott totally mastered the whole puppy eyes thing and their mother was a truly terrifying sight when her house was less than perfect.

            “It’s Kira,” Mason finally answered from his place on Corey’s other side. Theo arched an eyebrow in the druid’s direction. “She’s back. Parrish called and said that she was back in town and asking about the sword.”

            “She has to know you’re back,” Corey finished. “But she’s not going to get a chance to put you back down there.”

            “So you’re what? You’re going to fight Kira?” Theo asked, shrugging the other chimera off and coming back into view. “Is that really the plan here?”

            “If that’s what it takes,” Scott answered, finally seeming satisfied with his attempts to seal the house off. “Kira is still pack if she wants to be but not if it means losing you. I’m not going to stand back and let her put you in hell. Not again.”

            “That’s all really sweet, but did it ever occur to you all that maybe she isn’t here for me?” Theo asked ducking as Corey attempted to grab hold of him again. “Maybe she doesn’t even know I’m back. Or maybe she doesn’t care.”

            “Who else would she be here for? Scott? She didn’t come back for him before. Why would she come back now?” Alec scoffed, earning an indignant scoff from the alpha in question as well as amused snorts from the others. Theo ignored all that and instead at a suddenly very tense and silent Malia.

            The coyote was quiet, focusing all her attention on the bowl of popcorn they were sharing before their binge fest was interrupted. Though Theo knew the pack had valid concerns when it came to Kira being back, he wasn’t worried about himself. He wasn’t even worrying about Scott. No, he worried about the one person in the pack that would be the most affected by the kitsune’s return and he was really the only one who knew.

            He found out during one of their first weeks running together. Derek had bailed on them because he had to run off to Virginia to help Stiles with some case. Just more excuses to be around one another without having to admit that they wanted to see one another but whatever. The point was that they were left to their own devices and somehow managed to avoid killing each other.

Without all the animosity of his betrayal between them, they got along well. That was always the core problem between them. They were similar. The two coyotes were similar and that was both a point of contention and lately a sense of comfort. Corey and Brett were pretty solid as his best friends but Malia and Lydia were somewhere in that spectrum. They were like the older sisters he didn’t think he deserved but were more than willing to tell him differently.

            Those quiet mornings sitting around the Hale property were some of his better moments since he came back from hell. It was then that they both could express what was going on in their lives. Things they didn’t think they could tell the others. Theo told Malia all about hell and Tara still haunting his dreams. He told her about his fears about his relationship with Liam, especially since the beta was far more experienced in every way than he was. And in turn, Malia told him things as well. Like how about her relationship with Scott that was truly in name only these days. And how watching Scott with Isaac only reminded her of her feelings for another pack member who left them behind.

            Theo never once suspected that Malia had feelings for Kira but in retrospect it seemed fairly obvious. There was always a spark between them but at the time they were both involved in relationships and then by the time Malia was single, Kira was gone. And then Malia and Scott got involved in a relationship born from the terror of the Anuk-Ite. Theo never thought it would last as long as it did and after seeing Scott around Isaac, he was surprised that it was still going. But it seemed that neither Scott nor Malia had the strength to walk away.

            “So, what’s the plan exactly? We hole up here for the rest of the summer? What about college in the Fall? What about Mom and Dad? Are they not going to be able to come home because we’re barricaded inside?”

            Scott paused, obviously having given no real thought to anything other than getting home and protecting Theo. The chimera was touched but there was a reason he came dangerously close to ripping this pack apart. He rolled his eyes when he realized the others were similarly at a loss. This is exactly why he and Stiles were the brains of this operation. Because clearly…. Okay, well actually he had no idea what to do here either. If Kira really was back to put him back in the ground, he didn’t know what he was going to do. He couldn’t run. Because it was what he deserved… and he couldn’t leave his family. He also couldn’t let the pack fight one of their own even for him. Especially for him. He just really hoped that she wasn’t back for him at all.

            All thoughts and half formed plans came to a halt when the front door opened and closed. And suddenly Theo was flooded with a scent that was familiar in all the wrong ways. All his earlier noble intentions of standing his ground fled as he remembered that scent being responsible for him going to hell. It was one of the last things he smelled before the rot and the cold and his heart…. god, his heart. His hand rose to cover the rapidly beating organ. She was coming to take it back. She was going to take it back. He couldn’t….

            “Theo, breathe. You’re okay. You’re here with us. You’re safe. It’s okay,” Liam’s voice cut through the blood pounding in his ears even though it was barely above a whisper. He was standing in front of Theo while Corey remained standing next to the other chimera. His hand was wrapped around Theo’s wrist but they weren’t invisible. Yet. Theo had no doubt that Corey would vanish them in a second if he thought they needed to. His grip was just a warm, grounding force reminding him that he was here and they wouldn’t let him go without a fight.

            “Kira… how did you get in?” Scott asked, looking confusedly at the door.

            “The front door was unlocked,” Kira said, poking her head into the living room. Her eyes widened in surprise as she caught sight of all of the people there. “I saw Stiles’ Jeep in the driveway. So I thought you might all be here. Sorry to just walk in. I knocked but no one answered. And then I tried the door and it was unlocked.”

            “The damn door was unlocked?!” Brett hissed. He moved so that he was totally blocking Theo from the kitsune’s gaze if she even bothered to look.

            “Uh, well, yeah. We’re here,” Scott said, inching towards where the puppy pack was standing strong. “What’s up? It’s been awhile.”

            Kira nodded. “Um, yeah. Well, the thing is… I’m here because of… this is going to be really uncomfortable. But… I’m here because of Theo.”

            Theo was definitely regretting his earlier blasé attitude and not pushing the pack to come up with a better plan. Because she was here for him. Dammit, she was here for him. Corey’s grip on his wrist tightened and he knew that the other chimera was only waiting for a signal to make them disappear. He wanted to give the signal, but he hesitated. He knew if he did, if he left it would all go downhill. And despite the mind-numbing fear, he couldn’t stand the idea of any of them getting hurt (Kira included) because of him. He minutely shook his head and heard Corey sigh. The grip on his wrist didn’t change.

            “Look, Kira, I get it. Theo did some awful stuff before. But he’s different now. And also it was wrong then. We never should’ve put him in hell in the first place. And we’re definitely not going to put him back there!” Liam said in one long rambling breath, backing up as if that was going to stop her from noticing his boyfriend behind him.

            “Wait,” Kira tilted her head in confusion. “What do you mean ‘put him back’? He’s… not in hell? Theo’s not in hell anymore?”

            “No!” Alec blurted. “He’s not there and he’s never going back.”

Kira’s eyes narrowed before locking on the small space above Brett’s shoulder where Theo’s head was slightly visible. He frowned in confusion as tears welled in her eyes. That was an entirely unexpected reaction. He glanced down at the sofa to see Malia equally interested.

            “Theo,” Kira whispered. “You’re back? You’re here?!”

            “Yeah, he’s here. And he’s staying. He’s good now. Also, I broke the sword,” Liam said, clearly not reading the room. “So he can’t go back even if you try.”

            “Oh my… No! That’s not why…. Just… he’s back and thank you! I’m so…” Kira trailed off, shaking her head. “I’m happy. I was coming here to tell you that we had to get him back. You were right. It was wrong of us to put him there in the first place…. wrong of me. No one deserved that. I regret it. I regret all of it. The skin walkers… they weren’t what I needed for control. I thought that but I was wrong. I have a lot I need to atone for but getting Theo out of there was my first stop. And now I don’t have to because you’re here!”

            Theo blinked, stepping through the confused wall of people to stand in in front of her. He wrapped an arm around his waist as he looked down at the girl who was staring at him like he was one of the wonders of the world. “You don’t want to put me back in the ground?”

            “No!” Kira yelped, stepping forward. They all tensed but the kitsune ignored them in favor of pulling Theo forward into a tight hug. “I’m so sorry, Theo. I can’t express how sorry I am. You didn’t deserve that. I didn’t… I didn’t know what it was when I used the sword. But now I know, and you didn’t deserve that. Even at your worst. You didn’t deserve that. I’m so incredibly sorry for whatever you experienced.”

            This wasn’t the first time he had heard those words in the past few months. But it was the first time it was said by the person who put him there. It felt… good. It felt… real. Slowly, he let his arms wrap her slighter frame. And if he shed a few tears himself, who cared? None of the pack was going to hold it against him and Kira was crying herself.

            “I am so sorry, Theo,” Kira said again as they separated. “The skinwalkers... they deal in absolutes. There’s only good and evil. There is nothing in between. But this pack? We live in the in between and I’m so sorry that I lost sight of that for a while.”

            “It’s okay,” Theo reassured her, smiling softly. “It was… not great there. But it’s been really great since I got out. Liam saved me about a year ago. And I’ve been keeping on the lighter side of the in-between ever since.”

            Kira smiled tearfully, looking at the beta. “Thank you, Liam.”

            “Uh, you’re welcome, I guess,” Liam shrugged. “Honestly, though if anyone lucked out here, it was definitely me. Pulling Theo out of the ground was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Definitely no regrets.”

            Theo bit his lip but still couldn’t hide the wide, loving smile spreading across his face. He seriously adored that wolf. Liam winked in his direction.

            Kira wiped away her tears and nodded. “Well, now that we’ve got that out of the way. I see there are a lot more people in the pack than the last time I saw you all. That’s cool. I guess a lot has changed around here, huh?”

            “You have no idea!” Mason said, before launching into introductions for all the present pack members as well as those not there. He also managed to throw in the latest gossip. Thiam lives. Sterek is still somehow only pending. Morey is going strong. The death omens were keeping it casual while long distance but were total endgame. Scalia was still a thing.

            Theo knew he wasn’t the only one who caught the disappointment and sadness from Kira when she heard that the alpha and coyote were together. But he knew he was one of the only ones who picked up on the fact that it had less to do with Scott and everything to do with Malia. The kitsune glanced at Malia out the corner of her eye and Theo saw the regret written there. he had seen that look before with Isaac. It hurt just as much to see it on Kira. Then he was distracted by the scent of surprise followed by guilt. His head snapped in the direction of the smell and he frowned noticing it was coming from Scott.

            Scott was looking between the two women he loved with understanding, and a sickening guilt cloying his scent and clouding his expression. People always underestimated Scott. They believed that he was naive or oblivious, but Theo knew better. Scott always had a plan up his sleeve. People forget that it was Scott who got Deucalion to infiltrate Theo’s pack. Scott was more intelligent than people gave him credit for. So Theo wasn’t surprised that Scott figured it out. When Scott turned to meet his gaze, questions burning his eyes, Theo only nodded. He knew what Scott was asking even without him saying the words. Just as he knew that Scott was aware of what he was answering. His adopted brother sighed.

            “Kira,” he started, trailing off but finally finding that pesky inner strength that made him the true alpha. “Part of me was really worried that you wanted to put Theo back in the ground. But a lot of me was worried about how you would react when you found out that Malia and I are together. And not because of our past… but because of your future with Malia.”

There were several confused murmurs from the rest of the Puppy Pack who had no idea what was happening at that moment. Malia and Kira exchanged quick glances before looking anywhere but at each other. Scott offered a weak smile.

            “That wasn’t fair. And I’m sorry.”

            “Scott… what are you…?” Malia asked, standing up finally and moving towards her boyfriend but he stepped away. “Scott?”

            “It’s not working anymore, Malia. We both know it. It hasn’t been for a while now. And Kira fought her way back to Beacon Hills. It wasn’t just for Theo. It was for you too. And I know you feel the same way.”

            “I do but…”

            “It’s okay.”

            Malia’s eyes watered. “Scott, I love you.”

            “I know. I love you too. I always will,” he replied, shrugging a little. “But you’re not in love with me. You’re in love with Kira.”

            Malia looked from Scott to the blushing kitsune. “Yeah, I am.”

            “Oh,” Kira whispered, a smile spreading across her face. “I’m in love with you too.”

            “Oh!” Malia exclaimed with wide eyes. Theo almost smiled but he could practically hear Scott’s heartbreaking at that moment. It seemed the coyote could too as she looked back to Scott. “But… I’m sorry.”

            “Don’t be,” Scott said, smiling sadly. “We’re okay. Yeah?”

            “Yeah.”

            Malia nodded before rushing to meet Kira halfway in a hug. The relief was obvious in their embrace. Theo knew that feeling well. Finding love and acceptance in the arms of the one person it seemed was designed to be there for you. He tore his eyes away from the newfound relationship to look at his person. Liam was still standing clustered with Brett, Alec, Corey, and Mason. The five boys were gaping in their direction. Theo shrugged. At least they weren’t ruining the moment with their opinions.

            “Hey, Malia?” Theo called out, drawing the girls’ attention. “Text me before you leave town, okay?”

            At first, she opened her mouth to protest but she closed her lips in the next second. She glanced from Kira to Scott and then back to Theo before nodding. They weren’t leaving because they didn’t think that the pack or Scott would accept them. No, they both were smarter than that. But Theo heard what Kira wasn’t admitting. She, with the skinwalkers, caused a lot of damage over the past year. She was going to be doing a lot more atoning. And hopefully, her intended people were as forgiving as Theo. But either way, she was going to have Malia at her side. She would get through this.

They didn’t stay much longer after that. Kira left after hugging every single member of the pack, old and new, and promising not to stay out of touch as long. Malia left with promises that she would be back and pain of death if Theo hadn’t finished Shadowhunters before she came back. She also told him they would have one last run before she ran off with Kira to do whatever the hell her atonement was going to look like.

            And that was all great and he was super happy for them. He was. But right now, he had Scott. Sad, extra puppy-eyed Scott. Who just deflated. He vaguely heard the rest of the puppy pack making some excuse to not be around and they all scooted away. Though they weren’t that far away because this whole pack was full of nosey gossips. Seriously, they were the worst.

            “You okay?” Theo asked when he determined that they were at least far enough away that the humans couldn’t hear without asking one of the three wolves that were definitely listening to their conversation. And they totally were.

            “Yes… and no,” Scott admitted. “How long did you know?”

            “Umm, I can’t… it’s not that I don’t want to but like… I just can’t…”

            “It’s okay,” Scott interrupted his nervous ramble. “I get it. I’m not mad at you. Honestly. I kind of had a feeling too, to be honest. Still…”

            “Yeah, still.”

            Scott sighed deeply before heading towards the stairs. Theo tracked him with his eyes and then with his ears. He heard Scott flop down on what used to be Isaac’s bed but was now Theo’s. That was interesting. He would’ve thought that the alpha would’ve gone to his old room but that was not even close to the point. The point was that Scott was going through a breakup that was long overdue but clearly hurting him and Theo felt so far out of his depth with trying to handle that. But there was someone who would know. Someone that had recently assured him that he could call for all problems, even his own. So Theo didn’t hesitate to call Stiles.

            “Kira is back,” Theo blurted as soon as Stiles picked up.

            “ _What?! Okay. She’s back. Oh my god. Are you okay? Are you somewhere safe? I’m in Beacon Hills. I can hide you for a bit. I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to do against a freaking skinwalker kitsune but I can try._ ”

            Theo smiled. They definitely had come a long way from where they used to be. But still… “It’s okay, Stiles. I’m okay. She didn’t come back for me. Well not in the way we were thinking. Also, she’s here for Malia too.”

            _“For Malia…. Oooooh! How’s Scott?_ ”

            “Sad but trying to be strong because we’re all here.”

            “ _Right. His damn martyr complex. Well, clear the puppies out. I’ll be over in a few. I’ll bring Isaac. At best, they can pine at each other to distract from the pain._ ”

Theo snorted. “Yeah. That’s definitely happening.” He paused. “Wait, Stiles. Why are you in Beacon Hills? I thought you told Scott you had a case this week.”

            “ _Uh… I’m just… I’m working on another lead?_ ”

            “Mieczyslaw Stiles Stilinski, don’t even try to lie to a werewolf, my dude! It doesn’t work. Now, why are you in Beacon Hills?!”

            “ _Did you just government name me?!_ ”

            “Don’t dodge the question!”

            “ _Okay_ ,” Stiles huffed. “ _I was waiting to tell you because you’re all seriously obnoxious but I swear I was going to tell you and Scotty this weekend. So the thing is, I might be here because Derek wanted to talk. And maybe I wanted to talk to him too. And maybe now we talk. A lot. And other stuff. Fun stuff._ ”

            Theo felt his jaw drop. “You finally got your shit together?!”

            “What?!” Liam yelled from the kitchen. “Who got their shit together?!      

”I’m on the phone. Stop listening in, asshole!” Theo yelled back, ignoring and the whine and no doubt pouting from his boyfriend. “You and I are going to be talking about this later, Stiles. I need details. I have watched you pine for months. You will not deprive me.”

            “ _When did you turn into the pack gossip? I thought that Mason’s thing. But fine!  Let’s fix Scott first and then I’ll tell you all about it. But because I’m so generous. I will tell you that you won the pool I’m not supposed to know you idiots have._ ”

            “Yes! You’re the best!”

            “ _Damn straight. Alright, I’m going to get Isaac and pining food. Hold down the fort til we get there. See you soon_.”

“Okay.”

            Theo hung up feeling slightly better. Help was on the way. Stiles and Isaac would know what to do to help Scott feel better. He shooed the rest of the Puppy Pack out the door and made them promise to save him a seat at the movies. Liam threw him a strange look before he left with the pack. Theo didn’t give it much more thought as he straightened up the living room from his earlier binge session with Malia. He was just drying the popcorn bowl when the door opened revealing Stiles and Isaac. The older wolf ruffled Theo’s hair in greeting before heading upstairs to talk to Scott. Theo wiped his hands on his pants and joined Stiles in the living room where he was pushing chairs around to make room for the inevitable snuggle pile that was coming.

            “Need any help setting up before I go?”

            Stiles paused. “Go? Where are you going? Why are you going? ”

            Theo frowned. “I only stayed because you told me to hold down the fort til you got here. And you’re here. Also, you said I should clear out the puppies. Pretty sure that means me too.”

            “Yeah, but it’s different with you. You’re a puppy but you’re also like OG from back in the day pack.”

            “I wasn’t even in the pack back in the day,” Theo murmured. Stiles rolled his eyes in the too familiar gesture that meant that Theo didn’t get something. He hated that look because he didn’t know what it was that he wasn’t getting here. Usually, he picked up on these things faster these days but he was lost right now. “I don’t... understand.”

            Stiles sighed, placing a hand on Theo’s shoulder and squeezing lightly. “Yeah, I know, buddy. But it’s okay. Just trust me, Scott will want you here. You’re not just his pack, dude. You’re his little brother now. He’s going to want you as much as he wants me and Lahey up there. Why do you think he’s moping in your room?”

            “Because it smells like me and Isaac,” Theo answered, slowly cluing into what Stiles was saying. It wasn’t that the idea was entirely foreign to him at this point. But it still amused and slightly terrified him that he mattered to people outside of Liam. Especially when it came to Scott. He had so many reasons to hate Theo and yet he wanted him around. He supported his mother adopting him. He was the one that encouraged Alec and the uber reluctant Theo to start referring to Melissa and Chris as Mom and Dad in the first place. It was still a bit of a mindfuck.

            “He wants you here, Theo. And more than that, I need you here. You think I want to see the continuing adventures of Scott and Isaac pining for each other? No, I lived it once. I’m over it. Thanks.”

            Theo snorted. “Yeah. You lived it and you were it. Don’t forget you were also stuck in the pining dance for like three years yourself.”

            “Remind me again why I like you, smartass?” Stiles asked without a hint of malice. Theo grinned.

            “Because I’m the best,” Theo retorted just before he was tackled onto one of the sofas by the full body weight of this century’s true alpha. “Scott?”

            “Shhh, less talking,” Scott murmured, resting his head in the crook of Theo’s neck. The chimera laughed, shifting so they were both more comfortable. Stiles threw him a knowing look. Theo very maturely resisted flipping him off. Instead, he reached for his phone still in his back pocket. “Stop moving.”

            “I just have to tell Liam that I’m staying,” Theo replied, amused by Scott’s clinging.

            “Fine,” Scott whined, sitting up and dramatically flopping onto the bemused and waiting Isaac and Stiles. Theo rolled his eyes even as he dialed Liam’s number.

            “ _Hey, babe. Everything good?_ ”

            “Yeah, I’m going to stick around here. Apparently, my presence is needed.”

            “ _I figured it would be. We’re already in the movie. I was about to turn my phone off._ ”

            “Bold of you to assume that people wanted me around.”

            “ _Not people, your brother and your pack, stupid. There will never be a time when they don’t want you around_.”

            “I…”

            “Stop talking to your stupid boyfriend and get down here!” Scott chided from where he, Isaac and Stiles were huddled on the floor.

            “He was your stupid beta first.”

            “Yeah, well you were my stupid friend before any of that. And now you’re my stupid brother. So get your stupid ass down here.”

 _“It’s better to just listen to him when he’s like this,” Liam said, laughing fondly. “I’ll text you later if the great alpha allows it._ ”

            “Okay. I love you, Li.”

            “ _Love you more, T. Alec is gonna crash at my place tonight. We’ll bring him back in the morning. He’s probably going to be extra clingy. Expect more cuddles. I’ll bring breakfast._ ”

            “Thanks,” Theo murmured before ending the call. He smiled softly at Liam’s thoughtfulness.

            A year ago he never would’ve imagined this could be his life. That he would have a pack. That he would have anyone that wanted him around. But he did. And it felt…

Theo yelped as he was suddenly yanked off the sofa and onto the pile of human limbs on the floor. He glared at Scott even as he was manhandled in between Scott and Stiles. Isaac snorted from his spot on Scott’s free side but made no moves to help him. Jerk.

            “This pack is ridiculously obsessed with snuggling,” Theo grumbled, settling himself further into Scott’s embrace, tugging Scott’s arms until they were in place.

            “You love it,” Stiles chided even as he scrolled through Netflix to find them something to watch.

            “Never said I didn’t. I was pointing out facts,” Theo muttered, elbowing the human in the side. Scott snickered and let Theo rest against his chest once again. Theo craned his neck to better look at the alpha. “How are you?”

            Scott hummed thoughtfully. “I’m more upset that I’m not upset about my girlfriend literally running off to be with my ex-girlfriend. I should be heartbroken but I’m not.”

            “I wonder why,” Stiles mumbled under his breath earning a snort from Theo and a dark glare from Isaac and Scott who then blushed when they realized the other was glaring too. Theo rolled his eyes.

            Stiles was right. That was going to get really annoying. But Theo was confident that Scott would figure it out. And if not, Lydia was back in town in a few weeks. She would definitely help Theo in any way in the name of getting those two idiots together. 

* * *

 

            Melissa wasn’t surprised to find the lights off and television on low when she got home that evening. Alec called and gave her the heads up about Kira and Malia. Melissa also wasn’t surprised. She saw that one coming a mile away. Still, her son was bound to be mopey about yet another relationship failing out. The boy really should give being single a try or he could go for the obvious choice but Scott was a stubborn one. He was gonna drag this one out. She already knew.

            These thoughts stuck with her as she placed her keys and bag down by the front door as quietly as possible. Per the usual with her son’s pack, the boys were in a wolf pile on the floor with various pillows and snacks in reach. She paused by the doorway to look at them.

Isaac was on one side of Scott, lying on his stomach but with his head turned towards Scott. His head was resting on the same pillow as the alpha. Scott was on his side facing away from Isaac with his body curved towards Theo who was in turn facing opposite from Stiles. Given the proximity of their heads, Melissa assumed they fell asleep talking. So nothing out of the ordinary these days.

            She shook her head, carefully walking into the room to cover them with a blanket. Werewolves ran hot but chimeras and humans did not. Sleeping on the cold ground was going to be an immediate regret for the pair in the morning. But she knew they would do it again in a heartbeat.

            Melissa smiled softly looking at her boys. The only one missing was Alec. But that was okay. She had a feeling he would be there in the morning and they would let him in the cuddle pile. Scott had adopted Alec and Theo in his heart and Melissa and Chris made it legal. Stiles and Isaac simply accepted it and viewed the pair as honorary little brothers in turn. They were brothers. Well, maybe not in Scott and Isaac’s case but they were all close. She wondered what it would be like if Isaac had been in their group growing up. Would she have noticed how his father treated him? Would having an extra person around have helped Theo come clean about the abuse his parents put him through? Would he have told them about the Dread Doctors so they could save him from their manipulation and corruption? So they could save Tara.

            She felt a slight pang of regret as she always did thinking about Isaac and Theo’s childhood. She wished that neither of them would’ve gone through what they went through. That this would be all they knew: cuddle piles and binge watching tv shows. But then again, as awful as it was, the Dread Doctors were the only reason Theo was still alive. And though it caused him pain and suffering and he hurt people as much as he was hurt, Melissa couldn’t help but be grateful for that much at least. He was here. He was alive. As for the pain….

            Theo whined quietly in his sleep, a sure sign the nightmares were starting up. She had a feeling seeing Kira would trigger that. Usually, Liam was here to help with the nightmares that were starting to decrease in frequency and intensity but he wasn’t here tonight. It was okay though. He had the next best thing. She watched as Scott stirred enough to pull Theo closer to his chest. Stiles, in turn, scooted over, chasing the heat that moved away. Isaac flopped a heavy arm over Scott, fingers brushing against Theo’s arm. He settled down almost immediately. The furrows in his brow evened out and he was sleeping peacefully again.

            Melissa smiled at her sleeping boys. She also pulled out her phone because there was no way that Chris or Noah would ever forgive her if she kept this sight to herself. She snapped a quick picture and sent it to them without a caption. She received immediate responses from both of the men in her life within minutes declaring they each had the cutest kid in the pile. The fact that both men pretty much had a hand in actively raising at least one or two of said kids in said pile seemed to escape them both. Melissa rolled her eyes and ended the debate by pointing out that she had the cutest of the kids because they were all hers.

            Noah called her a show off but conceded that she had a point. She made a mental note to watch the good sheriff in the next coming weeks. She wouldn’t put it past that man to try and suck up to Alec, Theo or Isaac to sway them to his side. She shook her head, snickering softly. They really were in a far different place than they were last year.

            “Mom?”

            She looked down at hazy, sleep filled brown eyes. She kneeled next to Scott, brushing a hand against his forehead. “Hey, baby. Didn’t mean to wake you up.”

            “You didn’t,” he murmured. “I think Theo was having a nightmare.”

            “He’s better,” she nodded towards the peacefully sleeping chimera. “How are you?”

            “I’m okay,” he admitted. “And that’s weird. I didn’t think I would be.”

            “It’s not weird. It's a sign that it wasn’t working out. But maybe now you might be open to things that you hadn’t let yourself see before.”

            “Things,” Scott trailed off, glancing down at Isaac’s arm that was still lying across his body and resting on Theo. she watched as his brain processed a thousand different thoughts and emotions in one moment before settling down. “Oh.”

            “Yeah, oh.” She patted him on the head. “Get some sleep. The others will be back in the morning.”

            Scott nodded vaguely before tugging Isaac a little closer. The first of her son’s betas made a content sound in his sleep and settled into his new spot with a happy smile formed on his lips. Melissa rolled her eyes. She knew it wouldn’t be so simple and that there would be some resistance on both their parts to admit how they really felt but this was a good first step. But she was really hoping they figured it out soon. And if they didn’t…. Well, Lydia was coming back in a few weeks and she always had a plan and a willing accomplice in Theo.

            She just hoped for Scott’s sake that it wouldn’t come to that. 


	4. Marry You: Take One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris and Melissa have been together for seven years and have managed to collect five kids together during that time. Their relationship is as strong as ever and they're happy. They don't need anything more. Or so Chris thought until his daughters planted an idea in his head that just won't go away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all and Merry Christmas to those who celebrate. Happy Holidays for those that don't. This one is a little different. The others have been focusing on the Pack as teenagers. This is set a few years in the future, as such some family and relationships have shifted. Nothing too much and I will go back and explore those changes. I just wanted to get this fluff bomb out of my head. Hope you all enjoy!

Chris idly checked some emails on his phone as he waited for his targets. This was usually the time and the place where they appeared but there was some kind of delay. He sighed moving on to text messages. There were a few from his old hunter contacts that still liked to consult him on some cases. And then there were three from his sons. Two from Theo and one later from Scott and all about the same thing. Theo had sent a group text indicating that he had some important news he needed to share with them all and was requesting a family dinner. The second message assured them that it wasn’t anything bad… possibly. The back to back messages and rambling tone indicated it was something that Theo thought they would be mad about but they probably wouldn’t be.

Scott’s message stated that he would be there for dinner and also that he was sure Theo was going to announce that Liam knocked him up or vice versa. A follow-up message actually from Scott this time confirmed that Alec was hanging out with Scott at the clinic before work and had stolen his phone. His youngest son was still a smart ass. He was getting the feeling that this was probably just part of Alec’s genetic makeup.          

He ignored the subsequent bickering that was taking place as he heard grass crunching under not so stealthy feet. A smirk tilted his lips upwards even as he silenced and pocketed his phone. He heard another twig snap and the smirk grew.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are.”

There was no answer. He didn’t expect one to be honest. Not while the hunt was on. He closed his eyes as he tried to track the movement he could faintly hear through the trees. He might not have the senses of a wolf or a coyote but he was a hunter. And a damn good one at that. He opened his eyes and grinned at the silent stalker waiting. He heard a small growl and suddenly they were on the move. They were charging from two different angles, both at full speed. But it wasn’t that difficult to stoop down and grab one and then the other around the waist. The combined weight sent them all crashing to the ground in a pile of laughter and tangled limbs.

“Hey, Daddy!”

“Hey, girls,” Chris greeted as they settled into a more comfortable position on his chest and snuggled into his side. He wrapped an arm around them both.

“Chris, have you seen the…. Never mind,” Melissa’s voice wafted from the back door. He craned his neck to look at his partner. She was smiling affectionately at the two girls that were now bounding off their fallen father and running towards their mother. “Hey, angels. You two going to be good for Dad while I’m gone?”

“Of course,” Isabella replied, with all the annoyance a ten-year-old could muster. “What do we look like? Alec?”

“We’re definitely better than that,” Gabriella chimed in agreeing with her younger by fifteen minutes twin.

“You two leave your brother alone. You know Alec is a special breed of pain in the butt,” Melissa chided with a grin. “I’ll see you before you go to school in the morning. I love you.”   
“Love you too, Mommy,” they chorused before running back in the house to get started on their homework. They knew the sooner they were done, the sooner Chris would let them play or even better watch a movie with dinner.

Melissa walked over to where Chris was still sprawled on his back. She held a hand out to him and he let her help him to his feet. His arms naturally winding around her waist while hers found their way to his shoulders. Even after seven years together raising five kids, Chris found he couldn’t get enough of this beautiful woman. She was everything he wanted and then some. And he found himself falling even more in love with her every day.

“And I love you too,” Melissa said, grinning up at him. He leaned down and placed a kiss on her smiling lips.   
“Same. Try not to work Alec and Lori too hard tonight,” he replied. She gave him a look that promised that’s exactly what she was going to do.

Why both of them decided they wanted to be nurses at Beacon Memorial under Melissa’s tutelage escaped Chris. The woman didn’t play favorites and worked all of her staff hard, especially her son and her son’s on again off again girlfriend and pack member. He was looking forwarding to the whining phone calls from an overly tired Alec. But despite the fact that his mother worked him almost to death, the kid stuck through it. He was proud.

If someone told him eight years ago that he would be a stay at home dad moonlighting with the occasional supernatural consultation, he would think they were crazy. Being a hunter was his family’s business. It was all he ever wanted to be. Or so he thought. Then again, he also didn’t follow the same code he did now. Back then he could never imagine being friends with the supernatural much less the proud father of four and the equally proud stepfather of one. But that was then and this is now. And now he was the proud father (step and adopted) of two werewolves, a chimera, and twin banshees. He wouldn’t trade one minute with them for anything. His kids were his everything and he was happy to stop moving around and settle down to be there for his daughters and occasionally his sons when they needed him. He was content. It couldn’t get better than this…. Or so he thought.

“Daddy?”   
Chris turned away from the movie they settled on after the girls were done with their homework and fed. They were once again snuggled into his side contently watching _Tangled_ for the billionth time.

“Yeah, Izzy?”

“Are you and Mommy married?”

Chris paused. “Well, no. We’re not actually. Why do you ask?”   
“Because Lydia and Jordan are getting married and they love each other,” Gabriella pointed out. “You and Mommy love each other and have all of us but you’re not married. I know you love all of us…even Alec. And you love each other. So why aren’t you married?”

“Uh, it just never occurred to us,” Chris replied, shrugging helplessly.

He’s faced down werewolves, rogue kitsune, ghost riders, and other hunters but never before has been as intimidated as he was under the dual glares of two not even preteen banshees. Still, they were not even preteen banshees that had been trained by him and their brothers. There was a reason they were significantly more intimidating than the average supernatural. God, they were going to be terrifying when they became teenagers.

“Whether I’m married to your mom or not in this case, that doesn’t change how much we care about any of you. You’re still our children, no matter what.”

“Duh,” Gabi rolled her eyes looking entirely too much like Theo. Not for the first time, he was struck with an urge to compare the chimera’s DNA with the twins. He wouldn’t put it past the Dread Doctors to clone their perfect experiment and mix them with banshee DNA.

“But why don’t you want to marry mommy?” Isabella asked, blinking innocent eyes that he was entirely too weak against. “If you love her and you love us… why not?”

“Girls, I have never said I don’t want to marry your mom. It’s just not something that ever occurred to either of us... You remember that your mom was married before, right? So was I. And then we found each other and we got lucky and found you two and your brothers. We’re a family and nothing is going to change that.”

The twins looked at him with an assessing (and slightly judging) expression on their matching faces. Finally, they nodded in unison seemingly accepting this as fact. Chris let out a sigh of relief and they went back to watching the same movie they’ve watched a thousand times before and would likely watch a thousand times again.

That should’ve been it. He explained and the girls accepted and it should’ve been over. But for some reason, the thought just wouldn’t leave him. He kept mulling it over in his brain. Why aren’t he and Melissa married? They’ve been happily together for the better part of seven years and have successfully raised three handsome young men and are still working on two beautiful young ladies. They were already partners in this life. But they were also content. They didn’t need a piece of paper to tell them that they were a couple. Said children and the life they built was enough for that.

Try as he might, he couldn’t shake the thought away even the next day as he sat around a rowdy dinner table with his kids and Melissa. For once, the significant others weren’t there (not that he had anything against Liam, Isaac or Lori) and it was just him, Melissa and their kids. So naturally, it was loud, chaotic and ridiculous. He wouldn’t trade it for the world.

“So, what’s the big announcement?” Scott asked a surprisingly withdrawn Theo. “You reek of anxiety. I’m shocked Liam isn’t here.”

Theo rolled his eyes. “He tried to come but I told I could survive without my emotional support werewolf for one day.”

“Good, but remember you have an emotional support family to help you out too,” Melissa said, smiling gently.

“I know.”

“The paper you’ve been shredding to pieces begs to differ.”

“Oh,” Theo murmured looking down at the label from the water bottle that he had been systematically shredding with his fidgeting. He flushed and raked a hand through his hair. “Okay, so the thing is… I got into the medical program at Washington University.”

“Theo, honey, that’s great! That's what you’ve been working so hard to get into!”

“It is great, isn’t it?” Chris asked, picking up on the nerves that Theo still was exhibiting. “I thought being a doctor was what you wanted.”

“I thought so too. I mean it is! I mean… I don’t know. I would have to move to St. Louis and I don’t know.  I mean that’s not the furthest a member of the pack has gone and Liam said he would go with me. So I guess it’s not a big deal. I’m going to go then.”

There was a moment of silence as they all assessed the clearly still freaked out chimera. Seven years and the boy still couldn’t say what he really wanted or what was actually on his mind out of fear of rejection that was never coming. They accepted that it was probably just a trait he would never outgrow. But that was okay. Over the past eight years, they had learned as a family how to work around the imaginary boundaries Theo occasionally threw up against them.

“Well that’s great,” Alec said, nudging him with his shoulder. “I’m happy for you, bro. I’ve always wanted to visit St. Louis.”

“Well, my scholarship apparently includes a house so there’s plenty of space for all of you.”

So that wasn’t what was bothering him. He already factored in Liam and family. So what… oh.

“How did Sergio take that he’s losing his best sous chef?”

And there it was. The twitch. The twitch of emotion he couldn’t suppress when he had his walls up. The twitch that let him know that they were on the right track. He should’ve figured this had something to do with the restaurant he had been working at for the past five years. It was hard work but the chimera had worked his way up from busboy to sous chef of one of the most prestigious restaurants in the state. That it had become one of the most prestigious restaurants shortly after Sergio let Theo take over designing and planning the menu was not a fact that escaped any of them.

“Oh, he was… you know.”

“We know?”

“Yeah, you know.”

“Pretend we don’t.”

“Oh. He was… he was upset? But like okay with it. It was fine.”

Chris didn’t even need to look at the two indignant werewolves to know he was lying. “Theo, you didn’t tell him, did you?”

“No. I didn’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because… he said he was leaving. He wants to go back to Italy and he wants to leave the restaurant to me. He talked to one of the schools in the area and they agreed to sponsor my formal training in restaurant management but cooking with him apparently counts as training. So I would be the head chef with all of the qualifications.”

Chris’ gaze flickered to Melissa. Her lips pursed even as she nodded. And that was it. Oh, their boy was too cute even after all these years.

“Well, I’m sure Sergio can find someone else to take over,” Chris said, flippantly. “So how’s it feel to be a heart surgeon in the making?”

“Good,” Theo answered absently. A small pout formed on his lips as he thought over what Chris said. “You really think he can find someone easily? Someone who could… you think he can?”

“Of course, he can. I mean how hard can it be to find another person to cook stuff?” Alec asked, fully leaning into obnoxious little brother persona. Theo flushed.

“I’m not just a cook! I’ve helped mold that place to where it is now. We have a Michelin star! Do you know what that means? Thanks to me, that restaurant has people actually coming from out of town to check it out. And I think that given the chance I could really elevate it more. You think any random he finds is going to do that?”

Theo was slightly breathless by the end of his rant but his eyes were wide as he stared at the self-satisfied smirks on his family’s faces. He deflated, red staining his cheeks.

“I… don’t want to go medical school,” Theo admitted.

“We know, sweetheart.”

“I want to stay and run the restaurant.”

“We know that too, honey.”

Theo nodded. “Oh, okay.” He paused. “You’re not upset?”

“Why would we be upset with you? This is an amazing opportunity,” Chris told him. “Theo, we’ve seen what you’re capable of with only a few hours to dedicate to the restaurant. I can’t imagine what you’ll do when it’s your full-time job. But I know it will be amazing.”

“You guys wanted me to be a doctor.”

“We want you to be happy, baby,” Melissa assured him. “No matter what that looks like. Do I think you would a great surgeon? Of course. But I also think you’ll be a great chef, a great firefighter, a great teacher… Theo, you’ll be great no matter what you choose to do. So just be happy.”

“Oh,” he murmured, blinking away tears. “Thanks. I was really worried about how you would react and I don’t know why. You’ve always supported me but I get super anxious still. I’m sorry. I really don’t know why I’m this way.”

“Because you’re a loveable little weirdo. But you’re our loveable little weirdo,” Scott said before pulling the chimera into a one-armed hug punctuated by a kiss on the temple.

He sputtered and tried, in vain, to push the alpha off. Sensing his weakness, the rest of his siblings swarmed him knocking the poor chimera over with his chair and onto the floor smothered under the onslaught of his loving siblings. Melissa snickered and took a sip of her wine.

“Our kids are so weird,” she stage-whispered, echoed by indignant shouts from said kids. Chris laughed into his own glass as Melissa started bickering with the kids.

He watched her with an amused and fond expression. He loved this woman. He loved everything about her, right down to the weird ass children they were raising.

“We should get married, right?” he blurted out to the surprise of literally everyone in the room. “Umm.”

He stared at Melissa who was still sitting in her chair. Her mouth opened slightly and eyes wide. Slowly, her face settled. He was dimly aware of the kids looking back and forth between them as if watching a tennis match but he couldn’t focus on anything other than the woman in front of him. She placed her glass down and grinned.

“Okay.”

Chris lifted an eyebrow, a smile of his own forming. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Melissa laughed, beaming in his direction. “Let’s do it.”

“I really love you.”

“I really love you,” Melissa repeated, leaning forward to press her lips against his. He met her halfway, still smiling through the kiss. It was messy and ruined by the fact that neither of them could really stop smiling and it was utterly perfect in every way.

“Oh gross. They’re kissing again,” Alec chirped from where their children were still sprawled out on the floor.

“You do realize they’ve done a lot more than kissing. It’s how we all got here,” Scott retorted.

“Scott, none of us are biologically related to Dad. We’re all adopted by him. So it makes sense that we’re all skeeved out by them kissing. But also it doesn’t because with the exception of the twins, we’re all in adult relationships. So it’s a little late to be confused by our parents making out,” Theo replied, the ever-patient voice of reason in the midst of his siblings’ madness. Chris might be biased but that one was his favorite.

“Well, I think it’s romantic,” Izzy said, from her spot on Theo’s chest.

“You’re ten what do you know about romance?”

“We know you better step your game up with Lori,” Gabi added, ever the ball of sass and ever reminding Chris of her older adopted brother. She was sitting in the fold of Scott’s knees with her brother’s arms wrapped around her. Scott’s head rested on the dark, inky locks of hair.

“Word. You don’t want her finding another guy or girl. Again… do you?” Izzy added.

“Mom, the twins are sassing me again!”

“Dude, you’re twenty getting clowned on by a couple of ten-year-olds. That’s not something you should really be advertising. Even if they are smarter than you,” Theo snickered as Alec aimed a kick at his thigh. He rolled Izzy into a comfortable spot on his chest before kicking back.

“Wait, you think it’s a death omen thing? Cuz Lydia is super smart and she’s a death omen. And Theo and Mason are super smart and they’re death omen chimeras. So you think?”

“Nah, we were all smart before the death omen thing kicked in. You’re just dumb,” Theo answered nonchalantly, throwing him off at first. Chris bit his lip to hide a laugh at the moment Alec figured it out. He was tackling Theo a second later.

“Our kids are super weird,” Chris commented, hugging Melissa tightly.

“Yeah, they are.” 

* * *

 

Liam would be amazed by how fast they managed to pull together this backyard wedding but he’s met Lydia, Melissa, his own mom, and Theo. It wasn’t surprising at all that within a week of Chris proposing, they were standing in their backyard under fairy lights getting ready to exchange vows.

The twins made lovely flower girls while Alec made a decidedly grumpy ring bearer. Although even he was hard-pressed to be sad when he saw his mother walking down the aisle with Noah guiding her. Melissa made an incredibly beautiful bride.

Liam fought back the lump in his throat as the pair read their vows out loud that spoke of finding love despite the odds and building a family together. Scott stood as Melissa’s maid of honor while Theo was Chris’ best man. They both were enthralled and Liam knew he wasn’t imagining the tears in Scott’s eyes.

He felt something pull at his attention and shifted his attention to his boyfriend. He met a pair of green eyes head on and felt his breath catch at the sight of Theo standing under the fairy light covered wedding arch. The chimera smirked and winked at him. Liam knew at that moment that this would be him and Theo one day. He knew that one day he would be the one staring in lovestruck awe as Theo walked towards him. He saw it clearly. He needed that in his life.

He was willing to follow the man to St. Louis, the least Liam could do was ask him to marry him even though they weren’t going anywhere. It wasn’t as if they didn’t know they were meant to be since they were seventeen. This was yet another step in their journey to their well deserved happy ending. Liam grinned. He was going to do it. He was going to propose one of these days and he was going to get that happy ending for them both.

And he did. And despite the usual theatrics, all went according to plan. But that is a story for another time.

 


	5. The McCall Pack is Hella Gay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott interrupts his brothers' scheduled bonding time to ask Theo a very important question. Further bonding and, as always, cuddling ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be a lot shorter than it was. But they wouldn't let me make it shorter. It's like these three took over and just made me write about them sitting on the floor and cuddling with each other while talking for nine pages. I really hope you all enjoy this very plotless ball of fluff pretending to be a chapter.

 

_ Ring. Ring. _

Theo frowned as his phone kept buzzing on the end table where he left it before starting the latest movie. He thought he was pretty clear when he told everyone to leave him alone for at least a day. His friends were their normal levels of clingy, but he was very adamant that he needed at minimum a day away from them all. College would be starting in a week. He and Liam would be moving into their off-campus apartment in a matter of days. So he promised Alec that they could have a pack free weekend together before he left for school. No one from said pack should be calling him. Alec paused the movie they were currently watching when the phone continued ringing beside them. 

“What if it’s an emergency?” 

Theo glanced at the phone but didn’t bother to touch it. The thought had occurred to him. But he was pretty clear that unless the town was on fire from evil zombie werewolf ghosts, he wasn’t moving from his house for the weekend. Besides, if by chance there was an actual emergency and not a codependent boyfriend/anchor or whiny best friend who just wanted his attention, then they knew to call either Chris or Melissa. Both of his parents were home that weekend. They would pass the message along if his presence was needed. But seeing as how said whiny best friend and codependent boyfriend/anchor were together and, judging by Liam’s muted feelings of resentment and annoyance mixed with fondness and affection, getting their asses kicked at Mario Kart by Mason, no one needed him at the moment for anything real. 

“If its an emergency then they know to call mom or dad. They’re not calling anyone other than me. So it’s not a pack emergency. Therefore not worth moving off this bed. I told you this was our day. I meant it.”

Alec gave him the shy smile he reserved for family only before starting the movie again. He scooted closer to Theo on the bed, resting his head on the chimera’s shoulder. Theo smiled into his little brother’s hair. As much as he loved his pack, it was nice sometimes to spend time with just his family. Especially since Theo never thought he would have one again. But he did. He had a pain in the ass little brother he would die for, a kick-ass mother, a stone cold badass for a father and an older brother who was the first True Alpha in a century. His family was pretty damn awesome. 

“Asshole! Why aren’t you answering your phone?!” 

On second thought, he wasn’t a fan of the older brother. He was kind of a dick. He was keeping the little one, but the older one had to go. Alec paused the movie again as the full weight of this century’s True Alpha came crashing down on the unprepared chimera. Alec bounced slightly beside them due to the sudden increase in people on the bed but otherwise went ignored as Scott glared with red eyes at Theo. Theo rolled his eyes at the flash of dominance and shoved at Scott’s arm that was pinning him down. 

“Why are you even calling me?! I told you this was my day with Alec. I invited you, but you were too busy doing whatever with Isaac to be bothered with your little brothers.”

Theo tried hard not to sound bitter, but he couldn’t help it. He was leaving for college in a week. He wanted at least one day with just his brothers, but Scott abandoned them to do… something with Isaac. The same Isaac that Scott couldn’t admit that he was in love with. So yeah, he was a little bothered by it. And it turned out that he was not the only one.

“Exactly. You made it perfectly clear that you didn’t want to spend time with us. So why should Theo answer the phone?” Alec chimed in, not bothering to hide the hurt in his voice. That, naturally, made Theo bristle. 

Scott stared at them in open-mouthed surprise for a brief moment before he deflated. He ran a hand through his hair, moving back to let Theo sit up again. 

“I… yeah, I have no excuse. I’m so sorry, guys,” Scott said, running a hand through his hair. He sat on the foot of the bed. “I know I’ve been a little… off lately. But you two are so important to me — both of you. You’re my little brothers. And that does mean everything to me. Even if I don’t always make that clear.” 

Theo and Alec exchanged glances before staring at the sad looking alpha. A long stretch of silence passed as they both attempted to keep a straight face. Alec was the first to break with Theo naturally following right behind him. Scott rolled his eyes before picking up a pillow and proceeding to launch the Pillow Fight Incident that would later serve as a precedent for why pillow fights would never be allowed again in the McCall-Argent home. But they didn’t care at that moment. That would be a problem for the future McCall-Argent boys when Melissa saw what they did. At that moment, however, all that mattered was attempting to commit fratricide with a pillow. 

After the great pillow massacre, the three boys sprawled out on the floor with feathers still swirling in the air. Theo grinned as Alec’s head flopped onto his chest, and Scott’s fingers ended up carding through the dark locks of Theo’s hair when his head rested by Scott’s knee.

“Why were you calling me anyway?” Theo asked, after a few quiet moments. 

“Oh, yeah. That,” Scott paused his gentle ministrations, snorting as Theo nudged his hand in protest. He started running his hand through his hair again. “It was stupid. Nevermind.”

Theo rolled his eyes, pushing himself up to a seated position. He grabbed his neglected phone off the end table. He arched an eyebrow at the sheer frequency of phone calls and gestured towards the screen. Scott blushed. 

“It doesn’t matter,” Scott amended. “Let’s stick to whatever the plan was for today. Movies?”

“We can do that after you tell us what the hell is wrong with you. You smell weird.” 

“You smell sad… almost sick,” Alec said, sniffing and wrinkling his nose. He paused, starting to sit up. “Did you want me to leave so you can talk to Theo alone?”

“No!” Scott blurted, reaching for the younger boy before he could leave. “You don’t have to go, Al. You’re my brother too. It’s just… ugh. This is so hard!”

“Break it down. That’s what you tell us. So take it piece by piece. What part is worrying you the most?” Theo suggested with an encouraging smile. 

Scott sat up and dragged his knees up to his chest. His bit his lip clearly in thought and Theo left him to it. Alec seemed content to do the same as he shifted so that his head was once again on Theo, this time landing on his thigh. He grinned down at the younger wolf and rested his hands on his brother’s dark hair, absently running his fingers through the unruly curls. 

“Theo?” Scott asked, almost hesitantly. “Are you gay?”

Theo arched an eyebrow. “I’m in a serious relationship with a guy, and we occasionally touch each other’s junk. I think that’s pretty gay.”

“TMI! I didn’t need to know that much!” Scott protested, with comically faked outrage. Theo knew enough to know that there was not a single aspect of either of their lives that Scott didn’t want to stick his well-meaning but overly invested nose. “I’m not sure who to be disgusted by here: my beta for defiling my brother or my brother for defiling my beta.” 

“Definitely the first one,” Alec chimed in with a smirk. Theo was taking it back again. His brothers were awful. He was dumping them both. Isaac and Stiles were pretty decent these days. Alec snorted as if he could read Theo’s thoughts. “It’s not my fault that chimera healing doesn’t get rid of hickeys immediately. Are we sure Liam isn’t a vampire? He’s obsessed with your neck and your collarbone, bro. You should really invest in like makeup or something. Or something other than V neck shirts.”

“I hate you so much!” Theo hissed, flushing several shades of red but still not throwing the giggling wolf off his lap. Stupid bratty little brother. 

“Okay, Theo and Liam’s sex life that I never need to hear about again aside, that’s not my point. My point was how did you know? Were you always attracted to guys or was it something about Liam? How did you know what you felt for him went beyond friendship? Like you’re best friends with Corey and Brett, and you don’t have feelings for them. Wait, you don’t… right?”

“Hell no! Corey is like my other brother from another mother. He’s cute, but that would be the same as me crushing on either you or Al. And Brett is… Brett. I’m entirely convinced everyone has entertained sexy thoughts about him at some point regardless of gender or sexual orientation.”

“It’s that damn eight pack,” Alec grumbled under his breath. “That and his habit of literally stripping his shirt off at any opportunity he can find.”

“See,” Theo said, pointing down at their brother. “Things have always been different with Liam and me. Ever since I met him, I’ve always been drawn to him. And then he saved me… yeah, it was always going to be him for me. I just got lucky that he liked me back.”

“Oh, I see.” There was a sad look on his face as if he was trying to make this information work in his situation.  

Theo shook his head to repress a smirk. So Scott was ready to confront this. Dammit. Lydia was right. When she came back home at the beginning of the summer, Theo expected that she would be all aboard the getting Scott and Isaac together train. But she wasn’t. At first, Theo suspected she just wanted to spend time with Jordan, but she told him that she didn’t see the point. Scott wasn’t like Derek and Stiles. He wouldn’t wait too much longer to go after what he wanted. And what he wanted, what he’s always wanted, was Isaac Lahey. Theo really should’ve known better than to doubt her. She was rarely ever wrong. 

“Is this about Isaac?” 

Scott immediately flushed. “How did you…?”

“I have eyes and a really great sense of smell,” Theo pointed out with a smile. Scott rolled his eyes. “Let’s say I have my ways. But I’m more concerned with your ways. What are you thinking?”

“I’ve always liked him. I mean he’s Isaac. Even when he was on Derek’s team and questionably sane, I felt this pull to him. I still do. But I never… and then Allison and then Kira… and ugh, Malia. What do I do?”

“I am so not the person to ask here. I haven’t even had my first kiss yet,” Alec admitted. Theo ruffled his hair. 

“I’m also not the person you should be asking. I literally had to die twice before I got together with Liam. And we’re like soulmates or bound together or something. I think if I die one more time, we’re legally obligated to the universe to get married or something.”

“Do me a favor and don’t die a third time?” Scott asked, honesty thrumming in his voice. 

“No promises. College is rough I hear. But anyway, back to the point. You know Isaac better than either of us. And you know yourself. What do you feel for Isaac? Don’t overthink it. Just off the top of your head, how do you feel about Isaac?”

“I love him,” Scott murmured so quietly it took every bit of their supernatural hearing to figure it out.

“Okay, then work from there. Forget about the other stuff. And as for Allison, I know I never met her, but I know her dad really well. And from what I understand, she was a lot like him. I don’t think Allison would’ve stood in the way if you two wanted to get together. And Kira and Malia? Those two don’t care about anything other than Kira’s redemption quest across the world. Those skinwalkers really get around.”

“You do have a point,” Scott admitted. Theo smirked. But the look was short lived as Scott’s face morphed into that soft yet sweet look he used on his family, particularly his ever-growing collection of betas, bitten and adopted. “For the record, the whole murder chimera phase aside, I really do think that Allison would’ve loved you. She would’ve been proud to be your sister.  Both of you.” 

Theo swallowed against the sudden lump in his throat and was happy to note that Alec smelled the same. They never talked about Allison, but she was a ghost that hung over the family. She was far before any of their time, Liam included. But her father was now also their father. There were days when Theo thought that maybe Chris was trying to replace her with them and he felt horribly lacking in comparison. But Chris always seemed to pick up on those moments because those were the days when the hunter would suddenly come to Theo to do some activity that was unique to just them. And then Theo would remember that Chris signed the adoption papers that made him and Alec his sons with pride and happiness in his scent. He missed Allison, but Theo and Alec weren’t a replacement. They were an addition. 

Theo smoothed back Alec’s hair when the younger teen rolled on his side, burying his face on Theo’s hip. He grinned and settled back against the bed to look at Scott. 

“I have another question for you.”

“Shoot.”

“Why did you come to me? Why not Stiles or Derek? Hell, even Liam or Mason would’ve made more logistical sense.”

Scott gave him a confused look while Alec sat up with a similar look. Theo frowned. That was the look they gave him when he was dumb, but he didn’t get it. He hated not getting it. Why was this family stuff so damn complicated? 

“Theo, why would I want to talk to any of them about this? You’ve seen Stiles and Derek. Haven't you? It took them literal years to get together. They’ve been pining for each other since day one. And as for Mason, I love him but why would I go to him? Same for Liam.”

“I mean you have a point with Stiles and Derek but Mason is gay, and Liam is your beta. So they would have way more insight here, especially Mason.”

“I mean yeah, I guess. But Liam and Mason are the ones that come to me for advice. It would be a little weird if I started going to them.”

“I ask you for advice all the time,” Theo countered, his brow furrowed slightly. 

“That’s different. We’re brothers. That’s a more give and take kind of relationship than just alpha, beta and beta’s best friend. I mean yeah, you’re kind of like my beta now, but you’re my brother first. That’s a little bit more important.” 

Theo blinked. It wasn’t that he was unaware that he officially had brothers. He knew that dammit. It was just that it always seemed to catch him off guard when it was dropped on him so casually. Scott loved him. Scott wanted him around. The same Scott he did kill just shy of two years ago. It… was confusing. 

“I think you broke him,” Alec said, dragging Theo out of his circuitous thoughts. 

“Yeah, just a little bit,” Scott snickered, tugging Theo over so that his arms were wrapped around the chimera. Theo relaxed against Scott’s chest, reveling in the warmth Scott provided. “You okay now?”

“Yeah, just… yeah.” 

Scott hummed and hugged the younger teen closer. “You ready for school?”

“I guess? I mean it’s school. I’m pretty good at it,” Theo shrugged, slouching further against the heat the alpha wolf was putting off. 

“I know that. It’s not your grades that have me worried. It’s you. College is intense. And I know you. I’m worried about you going to school without any backup in place. It’s just you and Liam up there. It just feels a little…. I’m worried.”

“School is barely eight hours away, and I’ll be living with my anchor,” Theo chided. “I’m going to be fine.” 

“I know. I just worry about you,” Scott admitted. Theo closed his eyes, soaking in the love in Scott’s embrace and happy affection pouring off of Alec. “Was Morrell able to find anyone near your campus?”

“No,” Theo answered, sighing. “She said I could keep calling her though and I can see her during breaks. It’s going to be okay.”

Theo knew they both knew he was lying. Truth be told, he was a little hesitant about school because he would be going without therapeutic support for the first time in months. It took a long time (aka a lot of Liam talking him through it) to accept that he did have some difficulties coping with his life… okay, so he still struggled to accept it. PTSD, clinical depression and anxiety disorder were pretty heavy diagnoses on their own much less together. Still, he was pretty confident that he had them under control even without the therapy. He would keep his medication that Liam’s dad was going to continue to prescribe. He had this under control. College wasn’t going to change anything... at least he really hoped it wouldn’t change a thing. 

“So you gonna alpha up and tell Isaac that you wanna have his babies?” Alec asked, thankfully turning the conversation back to the true concern of the moment. 

“I’m going to pretend you understand how anatomy works and just say yes,” Scott replied snottily. Theo snorted. “I’m going to tell the guy I’m in love with that I have feelings for him and hope for the best.”

“Dude, Isaac is super gay for you,” Theo assured him. “Trust me; it’s a concern how much each of you sends crazy chemosignals out around one another but still don’t know the other is interested. Like seriously, your scents are intermingled these days, and you’re always making heart eyes at each other.”

“This pack is hella gay,” Alec muttered, grinning. “I think that Lori, Lydia, Parrish and I are the lone heteros in this pack.” 

“Actually pretty sure that both Lori and Parrish are bi and Lydia is pansexual,” Theo corrected. He smirked at his little brother. “So looks like you’re the lone hetero. Must be sad to be all alone in the sea of all this fabulous awesome.”

“Get on this level, Al!” Scott added with a grin. 

“I hate you both!” 

“I think that counts as a hate crime,” Scott drawled, grinning lazily and dropping his chin to Theo’s shoulder. 

Alec glared at them for only a minute longer before giving into the urge to smile. He shimmied over so that he was once again sprawling over Theo’s legs. This time Scott’s hand was resting on his stomach and the younger wolf melted as Scott occasionally rubbed absent circles in the soft fabric of Alec’s shirt. Alec was such a stereotype. Also, Theo’s pretty sure that shirt was in his closet until about a week ago. He was going to have to apologize to Liam. Apparently, his brother was the klepto here. Oh well. 

“How are you going to do it?” Theo asked, after a long period of peaceful silence. He sensed Scott’s confusion. He craned his neck to better look at the alpha. “How are you going to tell Isaac?” 

“That part I don’t know. I mean,” he sighed. “Am I supposed to just roll up to him and be like ‘hey, Isaac. I love you and your cute face. Wanna date?’ That sounds really bad.”

“I don’t know. It doesn’t sound that awful to me. It could work.”

Theo froze at the voice that very much did not come from either him or Alec. In unison, the trio looked up to see an amused Isaac lurking in the doorway. Time passed in an awkward tense silence as all parties gaped at one another. The tension was broken by Chris’ exaggerated coughing from downstairs. The sound caused the three lounging boys to scramble to their feet, flailing as limbs got tangled together and grunting as elbows connected in places they shouldn’t. 

Scott ended up standing in front of Isaac while Alec and Theo were pressed against one another on the bed watching the scene unfold. 

“Isaac, uh… how long have you been here?”

“I followed you after you started ranting in your room about Theo not answering his phone. I was going to remind you that he told all of us to leave him alone today, but then you guys started talking. About me. I waited downstairs.”

“Ah,” Scott hummed, looking everywhere but at Isaac. “So you heard it all?”

“Yup.” 

“Oh.”

“This is so awkward, it hurts,” Alec whispered. Theo nodded. It was rather painful. 

Scott turned to give them a red-eyed glare over his shoulder before finally looking at the patiently waiting Isaac. Although the more the chimera looked, the less patient Isaac looked. Theo focused on his other senses. He sensed the patience but also love, expectation, hope, and nervousness. He was scared. Too scared to make the first move. The chimera wished there was a way that he could convey that to Scott, but the alpha proved, once again, to be smarter than everyone assumed. 

With a whispered, “fuck it,” he pushed himself forward and pressed his lips against Isaac’s. There was only a brief moment of hesitation before Isaac was responding by wrapping his arms around Scott and kissing back. Alec and Theo cheered, neither terribly surprised when Scott and Isaac flipped them off while never separating from their embrace. 

Theo was proud of Scott. He genuinely never thought those two idiots would ever get together. But here they were, and he was delighted. If anyone deserved this, it was them. But he was still a little brother at heart, and after snapping a quick picture and then forwarding it to the entire pack chat, he cleared his throat loudly. 

“Okay, there are still minors present!” Theo declares dramatically before covering an amused Alec’s eyes with his hands. Scott made a protesting noise as he reluctantly separated from Isaac before whirling around to face his smirking brothers. The red eyes were back, and neither of the younger teens had time to brace themselves before he was pouncing on them. Asshole. 

“Isaac! Help!”

“Oh no. I think you’re fine,” the lanky douche dating their brother said, smirk still playing on kiss-swollen lips. Theo glared even as Scott kept up his relentless tickle torture. 

“What is going on up… oh my god, why does it look like every pillow in this room exploded?”

Melissa’s voice reached them even over their loud laughter and cries for help. The three boys scrambled to their feet, searching for some answer that would calm her rage. Eventually, they settled for pointing at one another. Melissa rolled her eyes but couldn’t fight the smile that was forming on her lips against her will. 

“Clean this mess up and then come downstairs. Your father ordered pizza,” Melissa paused, looking at her son’s new boyfriend. “Isaac, you staying?” 

Isaac opened his mouth before looking at Theo. The chimera shrugged, glancing down at Alec. He was about to tell Melissa that it was supposed to be just family, but Alec surprised him (not for the first or last time) when he answered for them saying that Isaac was more than welcome to stay. 

“He’s like practically married to Scott at this point. He’s family,” Alec shrugged. “Also if you want, maybe Corey, Mason, and Liam could come over? I don’t mind sharing you. As Scott said, a lot, you’re both my brothers whether with the pack or not with them. I know I’m important to both of you. So I wouldn’t be upset if the others came over to hang out.” Theo pulled his little brother into a hug. “Oh god, if I knew this was going to activate your gay I wouldn’t have said anything!”

Theo pressed a messy kiss against his brother’s forehead and laughed as the younger wolf squirmed away in exaggerated disgust and terror. He sincerely loved his family. 

“Well, it’s probably good that Alec approved,” Isaac drawled. “Because Liam has been down there even longer than I have. Mason and Corey too.” 

“Snitch!” Corey and Liam’s voices wafted up the stairs. Theo’s brow furrowed. How freaking long had those idiots been here? How did he not notice?!

“Why are you here?” Theo asked, knowing they both knew the question was addressed to them. And yet it was Mason, the one person who couldn’t hear them that answered. 

“They came here to pout because I kicked their asses in Mario Kart. A lot,” the human’s very amused voice wafted up the stairs. 

There was a muffled yell followed by a loud thump and the sound of something breaking. Loudly. Melissa closed her eyes even as Chris went to investigate. It turns out that it wasn't anything of any significant value. Just the ugly statue that Scott’s grandmother from his father’s side gifted Melissa and Scott many years ago. Melissa would act like she was angry about, but they all knew she had been hoping one of the many disasters that happened in that house would take it out. And finally, Theo’s beloved disasters accomplished the goal. 

“Girls,” Melissa finally said, spinning on her heels to act like she was mad. “Next time you bring any strays home, they better be girls!”

“Why does she act like I regularly bring home stray children in need of adopting?” Scott mused. He blinked as Theo, Alec, and Isaac all raised their hands slowly. “Oh, yeah.”

Theo rolled his eyes and pushed Scott towards the stairs. Isaac slung an arm around Alec who had a harder time pushing the curly haired wolf off. Though a quick glance showed that Alec wasn’t even as bothered as he pretended to be. Loser. 

And so Theo and Alec’s movie night expanded to include their older brother, his boyfriend, Theo’s boyfriend, best friend and his boyfriend and eventually their parents. Somehow it was even better this way. And Alec genuinely didn’t seem to mind. Another Mario Kart challenge broke out, and Theo watched from the sofa as his little brother trounced the once reigning champion to the utter delight of Corey and Liam. Scott and Isaac found every opportunity to steal kisses when they thought no one was looking (but they all were).

It wasn’t the day he set out to have but with Liam wrapped up in his arms and Corey by his side cheering Alec on as he decimated Mason, it was really hard to be disappointed about that. He rested his chin on Liam’s shoulder and grinned. He wasn’t upset about this at all. 

  
  



End file.
